A lot of 38 Degrees members have spoken about their concerns over TTIP. There are so many things to be worried about, like the secrecy of the negotiations, the risk that it’ll stop future governments from rolling back privatisation of public services like the NHS, or the scary plans to let giant corporations sue our government

Should I be out on the streets, door to door about this one?Is it going to creep in, or are the best politicians doing what's right, and are they strong enough?

A deal that could permanently privatise our NHS is being negotiated in secret right now. It's called the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership, or TTIP for short, and this EU-US trade deal is one of the most dangerous ever written. [1 <link to evidence or quotation>]

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have the power to scupper it. But first they need to feel the pressure from the people they represent - us, the public. Can you add your name to a huge EU-wide petition and help convince them?

Today, thousands of 38 Degrees members are out on the streets campaigning against TTIP and collecting signatures for this petition.

The shady deal would allow big corporations to sue our government if they don't like our laws. Simply raising minimum wage could drag our government into a lawsuit that could cost taxpayers millions. [2] The same sort of deal is being negotiated with Canada called CETA. [3]

Both of these massive deals have been negotiated behind closed doors. Now people across Europe are uniting to force them out into the open.

If TTIP and CETA can be pushed to the top of the political agenda in the EU, then MEPs will be forced to say whether they support it or not. Your signature, along with hundreds of thousands of others from countries including Germany, France and Italy, can help move these dangerous deals into the spotlight.

There are millions of 38 Degrees members in the UK alone, and there's millions more people across Europe who want to stop TTIP. Will you add your name? Please click the link to sign the petition: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/ttip-eu

Working across borders which usually divide us can have a really powerful impact. This pettion is organised by 240 organisations and signed by people from all 28 EU countries. We may all live in different places and speak different languages - but together, we all stand against TTIP, and that sends a strong message. [4]

Although TTIP is on ice at the minute, I think privatisation of the NHS is now more likely than ever.

I believe that, after a Tory/Labour hard Brexit, and with no access to the single market, the UK will see it's PM crawling so far up Trump's arse that only the heels of her leopard print stilettos will be visible. She'll have to, and she knows it. Deals will be struck and US private healthcare companies will tramp in.

The YouGov surveys I get are usually a good barometer of what's being planned (previously I've had questions about: 1. a 'snap' GE & how would I vote, 2. Winter fuel payments - are they necessary?, 3. Immigrants - Tsk! who needs 'em! etc), but lately it's been 'Do you have private health insurance/How much do you value the NHS?'

CantSleepClownsWillGetMe wrote:Although TTIP is on ice at the minute, I think privatisation of the NHS is now more likely than ever.

Ooh, hello. What you been up to? Long time, etc etc. Welcome back.

Yes - I agree with you about YouGov surveys - the organisation is likely being commissioned directly by the Tory Party as a way of helping to push its policies through. Although May is supposedly concentrating on Brexit, a lot's going through on the sly - and the sell off of the NHS is accelerating apace.

Have you noticed how access to service (via referrals from the GP) has got so much harder over the last few months? In fact, how access to the GP has got more difficult too?

Fightback? For sure.... when it does happen, it's fairly localised, often centred on single issues (in health service matters, against closure or rundown of particular services or hospitals), and too often the struggles aren't joined together. The initiatives usually come from grass roots upwards, and there's invariably no linking together. So - fightback and join up is what's needed.